RE: The question that shatters faith, forever.
March 21, 2012 at 9:59 pm
(This post was last modified: March 21, 2012 at 10:02 pm by mediamogul.)
(March 21, 2012 at 9:49 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: But did Socrates truly exist?
I must profess agnosticism in the case of both Jesus and Socrates. I do not know.
That said, I do think it is more likely that Socrates existed and did essentially what Plato said than that Jesus existed and did what the gospels said. Even if Socrates did exist most likely Plato did not record his exact words and events but instead the essence of his actions, arguments and teachings. Plato's Socrates is a more plausible story simply in that it much more closely matches the everyday reality that you, I and every other human being lives in. Jesus' reality is wildly variant, it is a world where miracles, demons, spirits, witchcraft and magic exist in the realm of common experience. It is certainly possible he existed but it has certainly not been proven and given the worldview that his life and times were interpreted through I do think it cause considerable doubt for the veracity of their claims.
If it reads like mythology and matches other mythology of the time. It is most likely mythology.
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." -Friedrich Nietzsche
"All thinking men are atheists." -Ernest Hemmingway
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." -Voltaire
"All thinking men are atheists." -Ernest Hemmingway
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." -Voltaire